The Ready! programme made its debut at CTU last semester, and its first cohort has already delivered tangible results. After completing the programme, five participants decided to pursue setting up their own companies.
“What surprised me most was that the programme focused entirely on business. That’s not something we come across very often here, and I really appreciated it because I had always looked at technology primarily from a technical rather than a business perspective,” said Oliver Klimt, a graduate of the first cohort from the CTU Faculty of Electrical Engineering.
Ready! also shows participants that they do not need to wait until everything is absolutely perfect before bringing a product to market. Instead, it can be more effective to refine it in response to feedback and real-world needs.
“What surprised me most was realising that I don’t need to have a perfect product or a perfectly functioning platform. What matters much more is engaging with potential customers and investors,” said Marta Waloszková, a graduate of the programme and a student at the CTU Faculty of Architecture.
“We tend to overcomplicate things unnecessarily, for example when presenting our technology. Instead, we should simplify them so that they are easier to understand,” added another programme graduate, Dr Vojtěch Zavřel from the University Centre for Energy Efficient Buildings (UCEEB).
From technology to investors and customers
Ready! is not a conventional lecture-based entrepreneurship course. Throughout the programme, participants work directly on their own projects, gradually tackling the questions that determine whether a promising technical idea can become a viable business. The programme is delivered in English.
Topics range from validating customer needs and business models to product development, market entry and pricing, as well as team building, funding and preparing an investor pitch. The programme also includes one-to-one mentoring with experienced business professionals.
Participants are also paired with “business buddies” from the Prague University of Economics and Business (VŠE) and the Masaryk Institute of Advanced Studies (MÚVS), who bring expertise in areas such as finance, business and people management to technology-focused projects. In the first cohort, three of the five participating business students ultimately became co-founders of emerging ventures.
The programme will culminate in Pitch Night in January, when participants will present their projects to more than 50 venture capital and angel investors. The Decor project was selected as the best project during the Pitch Night of the programme’s first cohort. It was developed by FEE CTU doctoral student Muris Sladić and Dr Sebastian Garcia from Stratosphere Lab, a research group at the Artificial Intelligence Center at CTU FEE. Decor uses artificial intelligence and cyber deception techniques to detect, mislead and contain attackers who have already gained access to a corporate network. This gives defenders earlier insight into attackers’ activities and more time to respond.
How to apply
The deadline for applications is 8 September 2026. The application consists of eight questions and a short, informal video. The main selection criteria are the quality of the project and the applicant’s motivation to move it towards commercialisation. Applicants will be notified of the results by the end of September.
Further information, the programme schedule and the application form are available on the CTU website.
